1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for mounting an inflatable curtain within a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a freely rotating mounting assembly for attaching an inflatable curtain to the interior side frame of a vehcle.
2. Technical Background
Inflatable safety restraint devices, or airbags, are mandatory on most new vehicles. Airbags are typically installed as part of a system with an airbag module in the steering wheel on the driver's side of car and in the dashboard on the passenger side of a car. In the event of an accident, a sensor within the vehicle measures abnormal deceleration and triggers the ignition of an explosive charge contained within an inflator. Expanding gases from the charge travel through conduits and fill the airbags, which immediately inflate in front of the driver and passenger to protect them from harmful impact with the interior of the car. Airbag systems have also been developed in response to the need for similar protection from lateral impacts between a passenger and the side of a vehicle's interior. This might occur when another vehicle collides with the side of the car, or in a rollover situation where the side of car is repeatedly impacting the ground.
Side impact airbag systems are designed to prevent the head of a vehicle occupant from emerging through the window opening or from colliding with the reaction surface at the side of the vehicle. Side impact airbags have a smaller area in which to deploy and must be configured to inflate efficiently and in the right direction. There is also less space in which to install side impact airbags. Side inflatable airbag curtains are typically attached to the roof rail of a car behind the head liner. The roof rail is the metal portion of the car frame which extends along the side of the car at the junction of the side doors and the roof. The head liner is an interior component which covers the roof rail at the door seal.
Side airbag modules typically include an inflatable curtain folded into a predetermined configuration and then placed in a covering, wrap, or housing. Most side airbag modules include an attachment means for securing the airbag module to the roof rail. When the airbag curtain is in a folded state, the airbag module is long, narrow, and flexible. The problem with most side impact air modules is that their long and narrow configuration makes them awkward and cumbersome to install. The folded airbag must be positioned next to the roof rail or other frame member to which it will be attached. Often times the installer needs both hands to align the somewhat flimsy folded airbag and module with the curved or twisted roof rail. This makes it extremely difficult if not impossible for the installer to operate the tool used to mount the airbag curtain to the vehicle. Sometimes this problem is overcome by using separate positioning equipment such as sophisticated mounting jigs, or using multiple people to hold the inflatable curtain in place during installation. Unfortunately, the use of additional equipment, tools, or human resources drives up the cost of installation.
Another problem with installing inflatable airbag curtains with existing mounting brackets is that the torque of the installation tools transfers to the mounting bracket and the airbag curtain causing it to twist and crimp which can negatively affect the folded configuration of the airbag curtain. Furthermore, an additional installer may be necessary to hold the airbag curtain to keep it from rotating while another installer secures the airbag curtain to the vehicle.
One attempt to solve these current problems is to configure the mounting brackets with hooks that can be placed into a special slot in the vehicle body. The hooks hold the inflatable curtain in place while installers bolt or otherwise secure that assembly to the vehicle. The hooks also help to keep the mounting brackets from rotating. However, these hooks suffer many disadvantages. The hooks require special notches in the vehicle to receive the hooks of the mounting bracket. Additionally, the hooks do not prevent the torque from transferring to the mounting bracket. Thus, the torque of the connection can transfer to the hooks making them susceptible to bending or twisting. This unwanted deformation can call into question the integrity of the mount. Further, the torque of the installation tool can cause the hook to disengage the slot. Still further, the use of mounting brackets with hooks involves multiple installation steps. The inflatable curtain must be hooked to the vehicle which requires alignment of the hooks within notches in the vehicle before the inflatable curtain can be secured to the vehicle. This drives up installation time and costs.
Another disadvantage of known airbag curtain mounting systems is that the attachment points for the airbag curtain are susceptible to slight rotations, even with the hooks. When these points of attachment are cinched tight with a slight rotation, the deployment of the airbag can be negatively affected. Specifically, the pressure or force caused by the inflating airbag may not be evenly distributed over all the points of attachment. Thus, the airbag may be susceptible to tearing at the point of attachment bearing an unequal amount of force.
Accordingly, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a mounting bracket for an inflatable curtain which allows the installer to secure the inflatable curtain to the interior of a vehicle without the need for extra tools, equipment, or human resources. It would also be an advancement to provide such an airbag curtain module that did not require the extra installation time of aligning the mounting bracket within a notch in the vehicle. It would further be an advancement to provide such a mounting bracket for an inflatable curtain that did not transfer the torque of the installation tool to the inflatable curtain. It would be yet another advancement to provide such a mounting bracket for an inflatable curtain that would evenly distribute the deployment forces caused by the inflating inflatable curtain. It would be yet another advancement to provide such a mounting bracket for an inflatable curtain that was less expensive and easier to install.
Such a mounting bracket for an airbag curtain is disclosed and claimed herein.